December 16th 2019 (Nyamilepedia) – Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said on Monday that his country was arranging a meeting that would bring together main South Sudan rivals, President Salva Kiir and SPLM-IO leader Dr. Riek Machar, to discuss formation of a unity government.
Al-Sisi made the remarks during a session he held with representatives of foreign media working in Egypt on the sidelines of the third edition of the four-day World Youth Forum (WYF) which opened on Friday in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.
“We have always been supportive of all efforts made, and still being made, to find a solution and reach ceasefire,” said the Egyptian president, who is also rotating chair of the African Union, noting that the government should commence and overcome what happened in South Sudan during the past two years.
He stressed that Egyptian policy adopts solving problems and extinguishing crises in Africa, “even if Egypt does not chair the African Union.”
South Sudan descended into conflict in December 2013 after Kiir sacked his deputy Machar, leading to fighting between soldiers loyal to respective leaders.
The conflict killed tens of thousands and displaced millions both internally and externally.
A peace deal signed in 2015 collapsed after the outbreak of renewed violence in July 2016, forcing Machar to flee the capital and a process known as “revitalization” launched in late 2017 ended up in a 2018 peace agreement.
